Pasadena and Azusa Residents Charged in Violent Kidnapping of Chinese National

Two men fromthe San Gabriel Valley were charged Wednesday in federal court for allegedlyparticipating in the kidnapping of Ruochen “Tony” Liao, a Chinese national whowas violently abducted from a mall parking lot in San Gabriel two years ago,and whose parents were extorted for $2 million in ransom before Liao died fromhis injuries.

AnthonyValladares, 28, of Pasadena, and Alexis Ivan Romero Velez, 24, most recently aresident of Azusa, were taken into custody Tuesday during the execution ofsearch warrants by FBI agents and members of the San Gabriel Valley Safe StreetTask Force. Federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint Wednesday morning inUnited States District Court that charges both Valladares and Romero with onecount of kidnapping.

Previouslyin this investigation, two Chinesenationals were charged in a four-count indictment alleging theykidnapped Liao and attempted to collect $2 million in ransom from Liao’s familyin exchange for the victim’s life. Guangyao Yang, 26, and Peicheng Shen, 34,whose last known U.S. residences were in West Covina, were charged withconspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, attempted extortion in violation of the HobbsAct, and threat by foreign communication. Yang and Shen are currently incustody in China on charges filed there related to the kidnapping.

During theinvestigation, the FBI learned that Valladares and Romero worked with Yang andShen to conduct the kidnapping, during which Liao was repeatedly beaten andtased into submission, according to the affidavit in support of the complaint.Valladares was the “muscle” hired to intimidate, beat, and subdue Liao duringthe kidnapping, and Romero was the driver of the vehicle used in thekidnapping, according to the affidavit.

Valladaresand Romero were arrested Tuesday after making statements about their roles inthe kidnapping to investigators. According to the affidavit, Valladares admittedthat he was hired to assist in the kidnapping, agreed to accept $1,000 for thejob, and restrained Liao during the kidnapping. Romero admitted, according tothe affidavit, that he was recruited by Valladares and was the driver duringthe kidnapping.

After Liaowas kidnapped on July 16, 2018, his parents in China received ransom demandsand “proof-of-life” photos suggesting that Liao had been badly beaten,blindfolded, and tied up with duct tape. Liao’s parents were told to depositthe ransom payment into Chinese bank accounts within three hours, according tocourt documents.

Investigatorsbelieve Liao was held captive in a closet at a residence in Corona. During hiscaptivity, investigators believe Liao was frequently beaten and ultimately diedthe night of July 17. During the early morning of July 18, investigatorsbelieve Yang and Shen drove to the desert near the town of Mojave to buryLiao’s body.

On July 26,2019, the FBI laboratory used DNA testing to identify Liao’s remains, whichwere recovered following a search by the FBI’s Evidence Response Team.

Valladaresand Romero are expected to make an initial appearance in U.S. District Court inLos Angeles this afternoon.

A criminalcomplaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Everydefendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond areasonable doubt.

Thekidnapping charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in federalprison.

Theinvestigation into the kidnapping is being conducted by the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation, with significant assistance by members of the FBI’s Safe StreetTask Force, which includes the Pasadena Police Department. 

This case isbeing prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Julia Choe of the Cyberand Intellectual Property Crimes Section and Frances Lewis of the PublicCorruption and Civil Rights Section.

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